{"id":311655,"date":"2026-01-29T16:01:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T21:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?prc_email_campaign=content-about-ice-is-showing-up-in-typically-nonpolitical-online-spaces"},"modified":"2026-06-08T12:13:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:13:24","slug":"content-about-ice-is-showing-up-in-typically-nonpolitical-online-spaces","status":"publish","type":"prc_email_campaign","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/content-about-ice-is-showing-up-in-typically-nonpolitical-online-spaces\/","title":{"rendered":"Content about ICE is showing up in typically nonpolitical online spaces"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!<\/strong>\u00a0<em>The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information<\/em>.<em> <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Sign up here!<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In today<em>\u2019<\/em>s email:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li><strong>Featured story:<\/strong> Political content about ICE is appearing in nonpolitical online spaces<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>In other news:<\/strong> Rumors of major layoffs surround The Washington Post<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Looking ahead:<\/strong> TikTok, under new U.S. ownership, faces accusations of censoring political content<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Chart of the week:<\/strong> Weather is Americans\u2019 most followed local news topic<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udd25\u00a0<strong>Featured story<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following the killing of <strong>Alex Pretti<\/strong> by federal agents in <strong>Minneapolis<\/strong> on Saturday, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/technology\/2026\/01\/27\/alex-pretti-death-trump-backlash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">political content has been appearing<\/a> even in online spaces that typically steer clear of the news and focus on other topics \u2013 from pets and sports to hobbies like sewing or whiskey.<br><br>We\u2019ve found that content about current events often permeates social media users\u2019 online experience whether they want it to or not. While relatively few adults said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/06\/12\/how-americans-get-news-on-tiktok-x-facebook-and-instagram\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2024 Pew Research Center study<\/a> that getting news is a major reason they use social media platforms \u2013 just 8% of Instagram users said this, for example \u2013 <strong>large majorities encounter news there anyway.<\/strong> At least two-thirds of X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram users said they see people expressing opinions about current events on those sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udccc\u00a0<strong>In other news<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li><strong>Washington Post<\/strong> <strong>reporters<\/strong> appeal to <strong>Jeff<\/strong> <strong>Bezos <\/strong>as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/2026\/jan\/26\/washington-post-february-job-cuts-layoffs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">layoff rumors spread<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Bari Weiss <\/strong>announces <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/01\/27\/bari-weiss-cbs-contributors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new lineup of CBS contributors<\/a>, including podcasters and independent writers\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li>After deep cuts to government funding for <strong>U.S. public media,<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/26\/business\/media\/npr-pbs-stations-funding.html?unlocked_article_code=1.H1A.nl4t.q9S9pbhbS2G8&amp;smid=url-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">donors and philanthropies<\/a> stepped in\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Outgoing <strong>BBC <\/strong>boss <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/2026\/jan\/26\/bbc-tim-davie-licence-fee-funding-model\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">concerned about the broadcaster\u2019s future<\/a> without changes to funding structure<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Canada <\/strong>in discussions about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ctvnews.ca\/business\/article\/ottawa-remains-open-to-deal-with-meta-to-restore-news-to-facebook-instagram\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bringing news back to Facebook and other Meta platforms<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>WhatsApp<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/media-telecom\/whatsapp-unveils-high-security-mode-latest-tech-firm-offer-users-stronger-2026-01-27\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">introduces higher-security option<\/a>, including additional safeguards for public figures and journalists; Meta also to test <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/news\/868439\/meta-premium-subscription-ai-facebook-instagram-whatsapp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">premium subscriptions<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Top U.K. antitrust regulator <\/strong>rules <strong>Google <\/strong>must <a href=\"https:\/\/www.adweek.com\/media\/uk-regulator-google-publishers-ai-control\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">allow creators and publishers more control<\/a> over how <strong>AI<\/strong> uses their content<\/li>\n\n\n<li>How <strong>McClatchy <\/strong>is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cjr.org\/feature\/fight-over-ai-mcclatchy-union-dog-sidecar-listicle-summary.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">discussing the use of AI internally<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>California Post,<\/strong> offshoot of New York Post, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/california-post-news-corp-murdoch-los-angeles-b7d3974a070c7ce4ed91e94fd1494d25\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">launches in Los Angeles<\/a><\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcc5\u00a0<strong>Looking ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Days after TikTok\u2019s U.S. operations <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/tiktok-deal-us-china-eccb46c3bfee4cf3d362a01fe4968a4f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">transferred to new owners<\/a>, users have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/01\/28\/ice-facebook-trump-tiktok-minnesota-pretti\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">accused the platform of censoring content<\/a> related to <strong>ICE raids<\/strong> and the <strong>Trump administration&#8217;s immigration crackdown.<\/strong> Some people have reported an inability to post content, which TikTok has blamed on technical issues. Meanwhile, <strong>California Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/01\/26\/newsom-to-review-if-tiktok-is-censoring-trump-critical-content-00748727\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced plans to investigate<\/a> the matter to see if TikTok has violated state laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>One-in-five U.S. adults say they regularly get news on TikTok,<\/strong> according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/09\/25\/1-in-5-americans-now-regularly-get-news-on-tiktok-up-sharply-from-2020\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2025 Center survey<\/a>, up from 3% in 2020. Among TikTok users themselves, more than half (55%) regularly get news there. That share has more than doubled from 22% in 2020, indicating major growth in the presence of news on the platform over the past several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcca\u00a0<strong>Chart of the week<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the wake of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jan\/27\/winter-storm-weather-snow-power-outages\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">major winter storms<\/a> across the U.S., this week\u2019s chart comes from <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/05\/07\/americans-changing-relationship-with-local-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">our 2024 report<\/a> on Americans\u2019 experiences with local news. Of the local news topics we asked about, <strong>weather is the only one that most Americans follow often.<\/strong> Roughly two-thirds of U.S. adults (68%) say they often get news about local weather \u2013 double the share of those who often get news about local crime, the next-most followed topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/04\/PJ_2024.05.07_local-news-trends_2-01.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\ud83d\udc4b That&#8217;s all for this week.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Christopher St. Aubin, Emily Tomasik, Joanne Haner, and Sawyer Reed. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by Anna Jackson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Do you like this newsletter? Email us at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:journalism@pewresearch.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">journalism@pewresearch.org<\/a> or fill out this <a href=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two-question survey<\/a> to tell us what you think<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!\u00a0The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here! In today\u2019s email: \ud83d\udd25\u00a0Featured story Following the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, political content has been appearing even in online spaces that typically steer clear of the news and focus on other [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5674,"template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","prc_watchers":[],"footnotes":"","prc_email_subject":"Content about ICE is showing up in typically nonpolitical online spaces","prc_email_preview_text":"Rumors of layoffs at The Washington Post, TikTok facing accusations of censoring political content","prc_email_template_slug":"","prc_email_mailchimp_audience_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_segment_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_admin_url":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_status":"","prc_email_mailchimp_pending_send_at":"","prc_email_mailchimp_delayed_send_cancelled":""},"categories":[],"bylines":[],"prc_newsletter_list":[3083],"_post_visibility":[2643],"formats":[],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-311655","prc_email_campaign","type-prc_email_campaign","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","_post_visibility-hidden-on-index"],"label":"Newsletter","post_parent":0,"word_count":586,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/content-about-ice-is-showing-up-in-typically-nonpolitical-online-spaces\/","charts":[],"art_direction":{"A1":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"chartArt":false},"A2":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"A3":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=194&h=110&crop=1","width":194,"height":110,"chartArt":false},"A4":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"XL":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=720&h=405&crop=1","width":720,"height":405,"chartArt":false},"social":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=1200&h=628&crop=1","width":1200,"height":628,"chartArt":false}},"_embeds":[],"prc_checklist":{},"watchChildPosts":false,"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"Content about ICE is showing up in typically nonpolitical online spaces","description":"\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!\u00a0The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. 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